7– Imam Ali (a.s.) said, ‘Beware of loving the enemies of Allah, or of harbouring affection for other than the friends of Allah, for verily man will be resurrected with those whom he loves.’[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 2703]

12- Imam al-Husayn (a.s.) said in one of his supplications, ‘It is You Who removed the strangers from the hearts of Your lovers so that they never love other than You… What does the one who loses You find [besides You]?! And what does the one who finds You lose [out on]?! He indeed fails who is satisfied with a substitute for You.’[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 98, p. 226, no. 3]

13- Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) said, ‘Man’s faith in Allah will not be pure until Allah becomes more beloved to him than his own self, his father, his mother, his children, his wife, his wealth, and all people.’[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 70, p. 25, no. 25]

16- It is related in the tradition of the Prophet (S)’s Ascension, ‘O Muhammad, My love is due to those who love each other for My sake, and My love is due to those who are kind to each other for My sake, and My love is due to those who maintain communication with each other for My sake, and My love is due to those who trust Me, and there is no ensign, end or culmination to My love, and whenever I raise an ensign for them I lower another ensign for them.’[Irshad al-QulUb, no. 199]

18- Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) said, ‘When the believer abandons this world, he is elevated and finds the sweet taste of Allah’s love; he appears to the people of this world as if he is confounded in his mind, whereas truly it is they who have confounded the sweetness of Allah’s love such that they do not occupy themselves with other than Him.’[al-Kafi, p. 130, no. 1]

21- Imam al-Baqir (a.s.) said, ‘Allah loves the one who is jolly among people without being obscene, is monotheistic in his thought, adorned by patience, and priding himself with the prayer.’[al-Mahasin, v. 1, p. 456, no. 1056]

22- The Prophet (S) said, ‘The most beloved of Allah’s servants to Him are those that are the most useful to His servants, and the most persistent of them in establishing His right, those who endear virtue and its practices.’[Tuhaf al-’Uqul, no. 49]

23- Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) said, ‘The most beloved of people to Allah, Mighty and Exalted, is a man who is truthful in his speech, careful about his prayer and all that Allah has made obligatory for him, along with returning whatever he is entrusted with.’[Amali al-Saduq, p. 243, no. 8]

25- Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) said, ‘Whoever would like to know that Allah loves him must work in the obedience of Allah and follow us. Has he heard not the speech of Allah, Mighty and Exalted, to His Prophet (S): “Say, ‘If you love Allah…”?[al-Kafi, v. 8, p. 14, no. 1]

26- Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) said, ‘Whoever wants to know the status of his position with Allah must first find out what status of position Allah holds with him, for Allah places the servant in the same position whereat the servant places Allah with respect to himself.’[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 71, p. 156, no. 74]

27- The Prophet (S) said, ‘The sign of [man’s] love of Allah is the love of the remembrance of Allah, and the sign of [man’s] hatred towards Allah is his hatred towards the remembrance of Allah, Mighty and Exalted.’[Kanz al-’Ummal, no. 1776]

28- Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) said, regarding what Allah, most High, revealed to Prophet Moses (a.s.), said, ‘He lies who claims that he loves Me, yet when the night covers him up he sleeps away from Me [forgetting Me]. Is it not that every lover loves to be alone with his beloved?!’[Amali al-Saduq, p. 292, no. 1]

29- The Prophet (S) said, ‘Allah, Mighty and Exalted, says, “My servant endears himself to Me with nothing more beloved to Me than what I have made obligatory upon him, and he endears himself to Me through performance of the supererogatory prayers until I love him. Once I love him, I become his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his tongue with which he speaks, his hands with which he acts, and his foot with which he walks. When he calls Me I answer him, and when he asks Me I grant him.”[al-Mahasin, v. 1, p. 454, no. 1047]

32- The Prophet (S) said, ‘Allah, Mighty and Exalted, said to Prophet David (a.s.), “Love Me and encourage My creatures to love Me.” He said, ‘My Lord, I do love You, but how can I encourage Your creatures to love You?’ Allah said, “Remind them of My blessing and kindness, for if you remind them of that they will love Me.”[Qasas al-Anbiya’, p. 205, no. 266]

34- The Prophet (S) said to one of his companions, ‘O servant of Allah! Love for the sake of Allah and hate for the sake of Allah, and befriend for the sake of Allah and contest for the sake of Allah, for Allah’s guardianship is attained only by that, and man will not find the taste of faith — though his prayers and fasting be much — unless he behaves thus. In this present day, the brotherhood and friendship of the people are mainly for the sake of this world; they love each other for its sake and hate each other for its sake.’[‘Ilal al-Shara’i’, p. 140, no. 1]

37- Imam al-Jawad (a.s.) said, ‘Allah revealed to one of the prophets, “Your asceticism in this world hastens your comfort, and your devotion to Me endears you to Me. But did you oppose an enemy [of Mine] for My sake or did you befriend a friend for Me?” [Tuhaf al-’Uqul, no. 455]

38- The Prophet (S) said, ‘Man is not considered a believer until I am dearer to him than his own self, my household dearer to him than his own household, my family dearer to him than his own family, and my being dearer to him than his own being.’[‘Ilal al-Shara’i’, p. 140, no. 3]

40- The Prophet (S) said, ‘He who loves us, the holy household, let him praise Allah for the first blessing.’ He was asked, ‘What is the first blessing?’ to which he replied, ‘Legitimate birth, for only he loves us whose birth [i.e. conception] is legitimate.’[Mishkat al-Anwar, no. 81]

41- It is narrated in al-Da’awat on the authority of al-Harith al-Hamdani, ‘One day I went to visit the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) at noon. He asked, ‘What has brought you here?’ I answered, ‘By Allah, it is love for you.’ He said, ‘If you are truthful, you will see me at three positions: when your soul comes to this - and then he pointed to his throat –, on the Bridge [outstretched over Hell], and at the Heavenly Waters.’[al-Daaawat, p. 249, no. 699]

43- Imam al-Baqir (a.s.) said, ‘By Allah, we have no acquittance from Allah, nor is there kinship between Allah and us, nor do we possess a [special] argument against Allah, nor do we attain proximity to Allah except through His obedience. So whosoever from among you is obedient to Allah, our friendship will benefit him, and whosoever from among you is disobedient to Allah, our friendship will be of no use to him. Woe unto you, do not be deceived! Woe unto you, do not be deceived!’[Wasa’il al-Shi’ah, v. 11, p. 185, no. 4]

45- Imam al-Baqir (a.s.), when a man came to him saying, ‘By Allah, I love you O Household of the Prophet’, replied, ‘Then wear the garment of tribulation, for by Allah it overcomes us and our followers faster than the flood in the valley. Tribulation begins with us and then you, and prosperity too starts with us and then you.’[Amali al-Tusi, p. 154, no. 255]

47- A man asked the Prophet (S) about the Final Hour, to whom he asked in turn, ‘What have you done to prepare for it?’ The man replied, ‘I have not prepared much for it, but I do love Allah and His Messenger.’ The Prophet said, ‘Then you will be with whom you love.’[Kanz al-’Ummal, no. 25553]

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